


ATLA: Azure Flame

by Aurazian



Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, F/F, I Wrote This Instead of Sleeping, Sharing a Bed, tyzula - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-07-24
Updated: 2020-11-28
Packaged: 2021-03-04 18:48:15
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 2,332
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25491124
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Aurazian/pseuds/Aurazian
Summary: This is a story where Azula runs away from home at a young age to prove how amazing she is by catching the avatar only to learn how terrible her father and the fire nation are.Azula's personality is different from canon, spending a quarter of your life in the earth kingdom would do that.
Relationships: Azula/Ty Lee (Avatar)
Comments: 15
Kudos: 59





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> This chapter is just a set up for the rest of the story skipping most everything some of it may be fleshed out later.

"No Uncle father does care for me!" Azula snaps at Iroh as a particularly harsh comment in denial

"He only cares as much as you can benefit him if your sacrifice could earn him more power; he would sacrifice you without hesitation. You know this to be true" Iroh hate having to talk to her like this, but it seems like the only way to get through to her.

"No, it isn't!" Azula runs off in the direction of the throne room but stops before she can get there and turns around running to her place instead knowing that her father wouldn't want to be bothered by something so trivial.

Azula spends the next few days thinking to herself before coming up with an idea.

Stowing away on a Fire-nation ship a nine-year-old Azula looks through the supplies she has taken from the palace as the boat makes its way to the earth nation "just watch me, uncle, I'll capture the avatar and prove that father does care for me" after making sure she left nothing behind Azula starts to plan what she is going to do knowing that these supplies won't last here long.

* * *

Over the next couple of years, Azula travels around the Earth-kingdom searching for any information on the Avatar using her age to her advantage and pulling the war orphan routine she receives pity and help from some of the adults around the Earth-kingdom until she learns how to hunt and be as self-sufficient as she can be.

After she turns eleven, she stops relying on the charity of others as watching other families being happy only reminds her of what Iroh had said and as much she hates to admit it he was right. She was nothing but a tool to Ozai.

At the age of twelve Azula has all but given up on finding the Avatar and winning her fathers love and learned how much bullshit the fire nation propaganda for the war was, how much everyone fears and hates them and how much damage the war is doing.

* * *

Azula is making her way through a circus that was passing through the area when she hears something she never thought she would again "Azula?"

Azula cringes when she hears the cheery tone she had all but forgotten over the past four years, but its unmistakable turning around Azula sees Ty Lee with a shocked expression on her face and before the former princess realises what's happening she is being lifted from the ground and wrapped up in a hug


	2. Circus Part 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Azula and Ty Lee talk.

Faced with the hug, Azula tries to dislodge Ty Lee from her but quickly realises how futile that is and gives up just awkwardly placing her hand on the acrobats head "hey Ty Lee." 

Ty Lee's grip on Azula tightens when she hears her voice "Where were you" Ty Lee's voice comes out shakey and sounds as if it's drowning back tears"Ozai had announced you dead after the first year, but Iroh always told us you were too smart for that." 

"I was travelling Earth-kingdom. It put a lot of things into perspective for me. You wouldn't have somewhere we can talk privately would you" Azula finally manages to separate herself from Ty Lee's hug, but the acrobat refuses to let her go completely.

"My cart is over this way" Ty Lee pulls Azula across the camp and into a cart when they enter the first thing Azula thinks is 'pink' before Ty Lee moves her over to a seat "what happened to you, you're so much different than you were three years ago."

"Well, it's a long story. I guess it started with me feeling like I had something to prove. So I ran away planning to capture the Avatar, I know not the smartest plan I've had, but nine-year-old me thought it was a stroke of genius. So I gathered some resources and stowed away on a fire navy ship headed for the Earth-kingdom" Ty Lee grabs a bottle of water from under a shelf and hands it to Azula knowing this is going to take a while "when I made it to the earth nation I used the war orphan act to get what I needed for the first year and a half until I could properly hunt by myself. Over that year, I was shown more kindness by random strangers than I ever was by my father" Azula stops for a minute and drinks a mouthful of water before continuing.

"I had spent most of that time gathering information trying to find the Avatar. But instead, what I learned was the fact that everyone hates and fears the fire nation, they don't see us as great they want us gone. And my father sees me as nothing more than a tool" at this point Azula's hands are shaking, grip tightening on the bottle. Seeing this, Ty Lee holds Azula's hands in her own.

"I met some genuinely good people over these last couple of years. Even lost a few of them to the war. Please, Ty Lee, don't tell anyone I'm here I don't want to go back to Ozai" Azula looks to Ty Lee with a pleading look in her eyes "I can't go back to that" muttering the last line Ty Lee almost doesn't notice.

"I won't tell anyone; I promise" Ty Lee leans over pulling Azula into another hug. Azula leans her head on Ty Lee's shoulder and after a few moments, falls asleep relaxing for the first time in months maybe even years.

* * *

After the days' performance, Ty Lee enters her cart again. He sees Azula sitting up on her bed a little confused and lets out a breath of relief that she didn't disappear when Ty Lee wasn't looking "hey Azula feeling a little better" Ty Lee closes the door and starts to make her way across the room.

Azula looks over to the door and sees Ty Lee walking over with a gentle smile that she has begun to attribute to genuine care "I'm fine. , pent up emotion. I'm still not good with those" Ty Lee crouches in front of Azula and takes her hands again "I'm sorry Ty Lee, for disappearing so suddenly." 

"it's okay you're here now aren't you. We have a lot of catching up to do" Ty Lee gets up and sits on the bed next to Azula "now where to start. After you disappeared the palace was in an uproar for the next couple of days before it showed any signs of calming down, Zuko probably took it the hardest he was out of it for months constantly asking to be sent out to look for you" looking to her side Ty Lee sees Azula's' disbelieving expression "what, he was. You and Zuko may have argued and fought almost every day, but you're still siblings. After the first year, they officially announced you dead. No one thought a nine-year-old child could survive in the Earth-kingdom for so long by themself. at that time Zuko practically buried himself in his training that lasted for around half a year before your father scarred and banished him saying he could only return when he captured the Avatar. that was a year and a half ago I left home and joined the circus shortly after and have been performing since." 

Silence reigns between them for a few minutes "so it's my turn again." Azula tries to think about something she can talk about "I almost lost my fire bending half a year ago, I couldn't muster the rage and passion, and so I couldn't maintain it as I used to, and my fire bending started to suffer for it only took a few days until producing a flame became a near-impossible task. And I had to draw from any memory of my lessons in fire bending and eventually, I found the answer in a lesson from Uncle, a lesson I had passed off as the ramblings of a fool. Still, at that point, I was willing to try just about anything" Azula lies back down "and once again, Uncle was proven right. Fire bending is so much more than rage and passion. it's also energy and life" Azula lets out a deep breath "since then my fire bending has never been stronger."

Ty Lee gets up and starts getting changes into her pyjamas "so the Fire-nation has fire bending completely wrong" the only response she gets from this is a grunt of affirmation "does that mean your fire bending is better than everyone else now."

"I doubt it father and uncle are rather skilled and powerful fire benders they are still stronger than me, there might be a few others as well" Azula rolls to her side when she feels Ty Lee climb into the bed and faces her old friend

"Azula, please don't disappear on me again" Ty Lee looks at Azula a little worried in her expression.

"I won't" Azula for the first time in all her memories initiates a hug pulling Ty Lee in "also I've been going by the name Anna for the last three years so please call me that when we're in public. I don't want to go back to the Fire-nation." 

"it's okay I won't let them take you" Ty Lee hugs Azula back, and eventually they fall asleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> criticism and tag suggestions are welcome, please.
> 
> thank you for reading.


	3. Circus Part 2

When Azula wakes again, she can feel Ty Lee still hugging her tightly; she only notices the chill a few minutes later when a cold breeze manages to slip into the cart. Taking a deep breath Azula warms her internal body temperature, which only causes Ty Lee to hold her a little tighter. Staying still not to wake Ty Lee Azula sighs.

While laying in bed waiting for Ty Lee to wake Azula thinks about what she had learned last night of Zuko's banishment and how she is officially dead. Eventually, she hears other people walking around the camp and decides to wake Ty Lee.

"Ty Lee" Shaking the acrobat Azula feels her tighten her hold "Ty Lee its morning you gotta wake up" this second attempt draws a grumble from the girl.

"But I'm warm" hugging Azula tighters Ty Lee smiles 

"No I'm warm you're mooching off my body heat" Azula can't help the smile that creeps onto her face hearing the brunette grumble.

Ty Lee shifts a bit and starts to get up and looks down at Azula "Azula? Azula!" And promptly falls and hugs her. "You're still here; I thought that was just a dream. I'm so happy." 

Reaching around and patting Ty Lee's back Azula feels a little awkward "I forgot how much of a hugger you were. Can you get up now I want to get changed?"

Chuckling Ty Lee gets up and moves over to her little wardrobe "its nice to have you back Azula, or should I call you Anna." 

Getting up Azula walks over to her bag "it's probably better if you call me Anna a slip up could get me dragged back to the fire nation" Azula looks down "back to Ozai" the last bit comes out so quiet Ty Lee almost misses it. Changi to a more earth kingdom outfit brown shirt with black pants "I'm going to go do some fire bending practice" walking out of the trailer Azula finds a more secluded part of the camp where she won't risk hurting anyone.

Ty Lee sits to the side watching as Azula practices her fire bending, blue flames shooting out stopping before they go too far and hit anything. There is no real style to her attacks, she moves, and the fire follows "it's beautiful" plumes of blue shine the same colour as her aura as Azula lets out her emotions from the past day.

After a few minutes of fire bending, Azula stops taking deep breaths and refocuses her mind. Looking back over Azula spots Ty Lee "hey Lee, what did you think" she then starts walking over to her friend.

"you're beautiful" after a few moments Ty Lee realises what she said and starts panicking "I. I mean, your fire bending, your fire bending is beautiful" she then curls in on herself pouting, not knowing where that mistake came from.

Azula laughs at this "well you're right on both fronts" leaning over she helps the now blushing Ty Lee to her feet "so where do we go to get food here, or do we have to prepare it ourselves"

As the day passes Ty Lee convinces the circus ringleader to allow Azula to become a member of the circus security.

\--time skip--

Ty Lee enters her trailer to see Azula sitting on the bed with a sheet of paper in her hands. Shuffling over Ty Lee looks at the sheet 'Wanted. The Avatar' and a picture of Aang "Huh. He's an air bender."

Putting the sheet of paper down Azula leans against Ty Lee. The former princess had been trying to forget about the Avatar and her family, but now it's going to take centre stage, and there's nothing she can do about it.

Turning a little Ty Lee embraces Azula "talk to me Zula."

"I don't think I can run from this" Azula mumbles into Ty Lee's shirt and the two girls sit there in silence for a couple of minutes until Azula's aura calms down and Ty Lee lets her go "Zula. Whatever you choose to do, I'll be by your side and support you" Azula smiles when she hears this "thanks, Ty Lee." 

One week later "I'm going to offer my expertise to the Avatar and teach him to fire bend" when Ty Lee hears this she is happy but also a little sad. On the one hand, Azula isn't going back to her father, while on the other that'll make them enemies of the fire nation "and I said I'll support you no matter what you decided. So when do we leave."

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading leave any criticism and tag suggestions in a cumment.


End file.
